Metal-and-wood shovel handle



Dec. 18, 1934., W'. W. WOOD, 3D

METAL-AND-woon sHovEL HANDLE v Filed Sept. 14, 1952 PatentediDec. 18, 1934 UNITED STATES PATENT oFFice METAL-AND-WOOD SHOVEL HANDLE William W. Wood, 3d, Piqua, Ohio, assignor to The Wood Shovel & Tool Company, Piqua, Ohio, a corporation of Ohio Application September 14, 1932, Serial No. 633,107

3 Claims. (Cl. 294-57.)

This invention relates to metal-and-wood Fig. 6 is a transverse sectional View of one arm shovel handles having acontour resemblingthe of the handle, on line 6-6 of Fig. 5, and

Split-D handle. Fig. 7 is a side elevation of the complete handle, Formerly all-wood shovel handles were in genwith a small portion broken away to expose a 5 eral use, but as lumber of kinds suitable for modification of the structure. 5

shovel handles become more and more scarce, `While the so-called Split-D handle is well and corresponding-ly costly, a demand grew up known in the shovel trade, it may be well to for handles that required less material. eXpiein here, briefly, hOW Such e handle iS made. This growth has been gradual. There was a At its head end a round stale is sawed down the l time when practically all shovel handles were middle a distance of nine inches, more or less, l0 of the so-called Wood-D type. As the need producing two prongs semi-circular in crossior economy in lumber became apparent a section, and a rivet is put through the stale at wooden handle known as the smit-D was dethe point Where the saw Cut ends. The prongs fveloped, which handle required less than oneare bent outward at their lower ends and then l third as much lumber as `the 01d Wood-D their upper ends are bent inward, a wooden grip l5 handle. The"Wood-D has a grip portion or being secured between their extremities. Thus head about l1/2 inches-wide formed uponaround the prongs become the arms 0f a bfuroated stale or stem, the whole being made of a single handle. The iWO bende, in OplJOSie diieCiiOnS, piece of wood. The"Split-D can be made from giVetO' the arms a Slightly S-Shepe. In Fig- 1 a piece of wood no Wider` or thicker than is 0f the accompanying drawing the arms 1010 20 necessary to make the Stem of a W00d-D B111-, are given a contour resembling that of the arms both types require pieces of wood of substantially 0f n Split-D, and Fig. 6 has the COI1t01l1 OI the the same length, v arms in cross section.

The `requirement for still further economy of Referring 110W t0 the several gures in the '25 wood having arisen',metal heads were developed drawing, the handle iS Seen t0 COmDliSe WO Mins, 25

to take the `place of the Wood-D`heads, thereby 10-10, and n Stale-Seekei 11, in Which n WOOden reducinglthe length Ofthe piece of Wood-necesstale l2 is secured with rivets 13 13. A wooden sary to make the stale.A These metal headsy were grip 14 iS @Onlled between the upper ends 0f usually madeto imitatethe contour ofthe 4old the arms 10-101 the arms being DlOVi-ed *With Woomhandmsmofe r1eSs- 'Themetalpart heini-spherical sockets 15 to receive the hemi- 30 oi my handle resemblesthe Split-D in contour. Sphel'al ends 15 0f the grill The SOCkeiS 15 one object ofmy invention is te `stm further are bound to the grip with a tight metal band 18, reduce the length of the piece of wood necessary Which Hes in gYOOVSS 17 in the Sockets 15, and in making a'shovel handle. Another object is to 'in grooves, not Shown folmed in the Sides 0f produce a metal *Handke of such `length that it the grip;k This arrangement for securing the 35 Cdn vme attached 1;.0 the Stale `of d Shovel Whose grip to the arms is fully illustrated and described head has become damageds or even broke Off in Patent No. 1,843,120, granted Feb. 2, 1932, on at or near *where it joined the stale. In this the application 0f C- L- Bmw Away many shovels that are otherwise 'in good The metal Part of my handle 1S formed from condition een be restored. Still another object two sheet metal blank each bGHQO'OIm 91.18" 0 is to produce a light, strong metal handle of prachalf of the handle.' nach compmses a" pormon tical form and graceful proportions. or Zone that consi-'mums one-half 9i the .Sta1e" I shall now proceed to describe my invention socket l1, iomed to which, longitudinally, 1s one arm 10 of the handle. The blank is bent longiwlthlthe ald Gf the accompanymg dra'wmg m tudinally to a semi-circular form and by two 45 whic i,

sharp longitudinal bends the excess metal at each Fig. 1 is an elevational, sectional view of my side of the blank s bent inward, as at g5 25 improved handle, including a short section of Fig 6, Causing the portions 26 26 of the blank;

the'wooden Stale? to abut at 27. Thus the metal not needed to Figs. 2, 3 and 4 are 'transverse SeCiiOna-l VeWS form the semi-circular wall of the arm becomes 50 0f the handle. taken, respectively, 0n the lines the nat inner wan of the arm, and the contour indicated 0n Fig-1; of the arm becomes D-shape in cross-section. Fig. 5 is a side view of one-half of the metal The portions 26 of the blank, in the zone that part of the handle, looking toward the inside of becomes the stale-socket l1, are out away, leaving the Dart; edges 28-28 (Fig. 5), which edges are in the 55 same plane as the flats 26. Therefore, when the edges 28 of the two half-handles abut to form a whole stale-socket the flats of the two halves are brought into contiguity for a short distance, as in Fig. 1, forming a key'29 that extends down into the socket. It is to be understood, of course, that in bending the blanks into tubular form, they arenot only given the D-shape cross-sec,- tion, but they are also given the S-shape necessary to givethe resulting handle the contour of the Split-D handle. At their upper ends the parts 26-26 are cut to an arcuate shape, as

at 303(J, so they will t up to the grip 14, as in Fig. 1. Preferably, the edges 28 of the halves of the stale-socket are welded together. edges may be united by other means, for example, as in the handle shown in the Shirray patent, No. 601,987, where the edges of the stale-socket are united with the Well known Tinners lock seams. Just how the edges of the halves of the socket are united is a matter of design. In fact, it is not essential that the edges be attached. This will be referred to presently.

A kerf is out across the end of the stale 12, which the key 29 enters as the stale is forced into the socket 11. One of the rivets 13 l passes through the key. This rivet serves as an abutment for the handle, enabling the shovel to sustain great longitudinal pressure on the handle in either direction. The key supports the center of the rivet and enables the handle not only to sustain heavy longitudinal pressure, but even severe shocks, as when the handle is used as a tamping bar. Furthermore, the key supplements the rivets 13 as a means for keeping the handle from turning on the socket, hence its name, key,

The kerf in the stale serves as a means for holding the arms 10 together at the point where they join the stale-socket. It is this which makes it feasible to dispense -with welding `or other means' for fastening the edges of the halves of the socket together, relying upon thek rivets 13 to hold the parts of the socket in position.

The modication shown in Fig. '7 consists in omitting the rivet that passes through the key 29. With this arrangement it is not necessary to cut the kerf in the end of the stale very deep. Ona object of this modification is that the stale may be a little shorter than where the rivet passes through the key 29. This would result in a slight reduction in the cost of the stales. Another object is to reduce the cost of a shovel by omitting one rivet. The principal advantage obtained, however, is in replacing handles on damaged shovels. If the stale of the shovel is broken off in such a-way that to use rtwo rivets, as in Fig. l, will make the handle a little too short, the trouble may, in many cases, be overcome by using only one rivet, as in Figfl.

It is not to be understood that my invention But the is limited to the specific embodiment shown, as various modifications are possible without departing from the spirit of my invention, or exceeding the scope of the appended claims.

Having shown and described what I now regard as the preferred embodiment of my invention, I claim:

1. A metal-and-wood shovel handle, comprising two sheet metal blanks, each bent to form one-half of a hollow bifurcated handle, each half comprising a zone that constitutes one-half of a stale-socket, said zone joining longitudinally a tubular arm of D-shape cross-section, the flat of the D and the edges of said half-socket being in thesame plane, thereby causing the fiats of the two arms to be contiguous when the edges of the half-sockets abut to form a complete stalesocket, the contiguous flats combining to form a key that extends down into the socket, and a Wooden stale, the upper end of which is confined in said socket, a kerf cut across the extreme end of the stale, embracing said key.

2. A metal-and-wood shovelhandle, comprising two sheet metal blanks, each bent to form one-half of ahollow bifurcated handle, each half comprising a Zone that constitutes one-half of a stale-socket, said Zone joining longitudinally a tubular arm of D-shape cross-section, the flat of the D and the edges of said half-socket being in the same plane, thereby causing the flats of the two arms to be contiguous when the edges of the half-sockets abut to form a complete stalesocket, the contiguous flats combining to form a key that extends down into the socket, a wooden stale, the upper end of which is confinedin said socket, a kerf cut across the extreme end of the stale, embracing said key, and a .rivet which passes through the two halves of the socket, through the stale and through said key.

3. A metal-and-wood shovel handle resembling in contour a wooden handle of the Split- D type, comprising two sheet metal blanks, each bent to form one-half of a handle having the contour of a Split-D handle, each half comprising a zone that constitutes one-half of a stale-socket, said zone joining `a tubular arm of D-shape cross-section, the edges of the blank abuttingin the at wall of the D, said flat of the D andthe edges of said half-socket being in the same plane, thereby causing the flats of the lower portions of the two arms to be contiguouswhen the edges of the half-sockets abut to form acomplete socket, the contiguous flats combining to form a keythat extends down into the socket,

and a wooden stale having a kerf cut across its extreme end insertedV in the socket, the kerf embracing saidkey, the portion of the stale in the region of the key and socket, being free from inimical strainstending to disintegrate the Wood.V

WILLIAM w. Woon, 3m. 

